Chapter 299: The Hunter in the Dark

Inside the main house.

But resources within No Burial Village were limited.

Wei Hengbo and the other four people, plus one dog, lit only a single oil lamp in the center of the room for illumination.

Originally, the lamp's glow had been enough to reveal every corner of the main house—even if unclear, at least enough to make out rough shapes, to see if anyone was hiding.

But the moment the knocking sound came.

The room instantly dimmed a shade; the edges that had been sharply visible moments before plunged into utter blackness, and the five of them, despite the spacious room, suddenly felt cramped.

The darkness in the corners was seizing their living space.

Under the moonlight.

The monster was knocking.

This wasn't much of a real threat—the monster outside was surely fake, so they wouldn't open the door for it; what truly chilled them was Miao Dama's voice.

"Why won't you cremate me!"

Miao Dama cried out in bloodied accusation, her voice thick with malice and resentment.

The five fell silent for a moment.

The big yellow dog circled endlessly, but the air reeked of decay—even its keen nose could not detect the location of the malevolent spirit.

Finally, Wei Qinglan spoke, her voice tinged with weakness.

"Auntie Miao, please don't be angry—we only want you to rest in peace, so…"

"Bullshit. I heard it all—that pale-faced Wu guy convinced you to cremate me, but you refused. Do you have any idea what you've turned me into?"

Wei Qinglan looked utterly bewildered.

"What exactly have you turned me into? If you don't tell us, how can we know? Tell us."

Wei Qinglan's voice was thin.

Completely unlike the demeanor she had shown before.

She knew malevolent spirits were born from obsession and malice; once they harbored the intent to harm, their malice only deepened with time, never softened by words.

Trying to awaken their latent goodness through psychological therapy was nearly impossible.

Perhaps some malevolent spirits, due to exceptionally high karmic virtue, might harbor fleeting fondness for humans—but that was temporary; their malice would inevitably dominate in the end.

So she initiated conversation with Miao Dama.

In truth, she was trying to buy time, to stir Miao Dama's urge to speak, to extract information from her—giving her brother a chance to strike.

Wei Hengbo's gaze was sharp, his hand hovering near his sword hilt.

Where could she be?

On the rafters? Beneath the floor? Or in the surrounding darkness…

Miao Dama's voice was elusive, impossible to pinpoint; only a faint, lingering stench of rot could be sensed.

Drip.

Drip.

The instant they heard the dripping sound.

Li Juxian and Wei Hengbo struck simultaneously; because Li Juxian's fishing rod was longer, his hook reached the target first.

But there was nothing there—only a puddle of water.

Wei Hengbo carefully observed.

She noticed that around the room, there were already many stains of dirty water—these puddles must have been left by Miao Dama. She had been dragged into the well by a water ghost and killed, and had likely become one herself.

Even her silent entry into the main house must have been achieved through the water ghost's ability, seeping through the door crack.

Following the stinking water trails, Wei Hengbo found a pillar—the water stains climbed upward along it; Miao Dama must have crawled onto the rafters.

Meanwhile, these two were still searching for Miao Dama's whereabouts.

Over there, Miao Dama's conversation with Wei Qinglan continued.

"I'm rotting!"

"Like a forgotten fruit in summer—I'm covered in mold, and a light touch releases pus and slime. So I hate you—all your fault! My death had nothing to do with you, but my current state? That's your fivefold sin."

"I could have rested peacefully here like Yang Bin—but you turned me into a rotting, wandering ghost. I suffer… so you won't either!"

Wei Qinglan froze in shock.

Just as she was about to speak, Wei Hengbo shoved her aside.

And then—splash!

The room's only lamp went out!

Wei Hengbo had, through subtle clues, located Miao Dama—she was directly above the oil lamp on the rafters, attempting something.

So, protective of his sister, Wei Hengbo shoved her away immediately.

But Miao Dama's goal wasn't to attack those below—she spat a mouthful of water to extinguish the lamp. Had Wei Hengbo paused even slightly, he could have stopped her.

Unfortunately, his body moved before his mind could think.

Thus, the vast main house plunged into darkness—luckily, the moonlight outside was bright enough to faintly illuminate the interior.

But now, the monster knocking outside under the moonlight appeared even more eerie and terrifying.

The next second.

The moonlight vanished.

It wasn't that the moon was obscured—it was that the monster outside, coordinating with Miao Dama inside, had cast a spell to block the moonlight.

Now, the main house was utterly pitch-black.

Wei Hengbo instantly took two steps and seized his sister's hand, his other hand holding his sword upright. His blade was long, entirely crimson, named Blood-Drinking Wild Goose Feather Sword.

This sword had killed countless foes on the battlefield, gradually becoming sentient, drinking blood to grow stronger—the more humans or malevolent spirits it slew, the more powerful it became, but once it reached a certain threshold, the blade would shatter and become unusable.

Wei Qinglan unfurled the umbrella she carried with her.

It was a magical artifact she had brought from her previous blessed land through the Constant Link, named the "Six-Inscribed Magical Umbrella"; each pattern on its surface, when activated, could withstand a certain amount of demonic assault, making it an exceptionally top-tier defensive artifact.

The brother and sister, one attacking and one defending, had a great chance of victory against a single demonic entity.

But unfortunately.

Aunt Miao had no intention of engaging them in direct combat.

Sweat began to bead on Wei Hengbo's forehead.

He suddenly realized he had made a fatal mistake!

He should not have sat back passively, waiting for Aunt Miao to come and attack!

The other demonic entities were also terrifying; they lurked in the shadows like hunters, launching deadly strikes.

But in the end.

Demonic entities and humans knew nothing of each other.

Humans did not understand the mechanisms of ghosts; ghosts did not understand human abilities. Compared to that, humans might even understand demonic entities better.

But Aunt Miao was different!

She had once been a teammate of the Lotus Juanren; she knew the Lotus Juanren possessed special methods, knew she might not defeat them in direct combat, and even knew their personalities.

That is to say.

Now, Wei Hengbo and the other four were in complete darkness, facing a hunter who knew them intimately while they knew nothing of her!

Which one would this hunter shoot first?

Wei Qinglan swallowed hard, Li Juxian gripped his fishing rod, the big yellow dog growled low in its throat, each person was tense, and the knocking at the door only deepened their inner irritation.

Then.

They heard a sharp, agonized scream!

The scream did not come from any of the five of them, but from…

The big yellow dog! (End of Chapter)